Fort Kent, Maine  |  May 15–17, 2026

Northern Maine has always been a place where history runs deep. You can feel it in the forests, along the rivers, and in the people who have called this corner of the world home for generations. This May, two of the region's most beloved institutions are joining forces to celebrate that legacy in a way that has never quite been done before.

The Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races committee, the Ashland Logging Museum, and the Portage Lake Historical Society are partnering to present a special heritage display at LoggerFest 2026, running May 15 through 17 in Fort Kent. The display will bring together artifacts from multiple organizations and private collections, offering the public a rare chance to see and touch pieces of northern Maine's logging past that have never been shown together in one place.

Giving Back to the Community

For more than 34 years, the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races have been much more than a sporting event. Held each winter on the streets of Fort Kent and deep into the Allagash wilderness, the races draw mushers and spectators from across the United States, Canada, and beyond, bringing vital economic energy to the St. John Valley every single year. Hotels fill up a year in advance. Restaurants sell out. Gas stations, shops, and local vendors all feel the boost. Fort Kent Town Manager Suzie Paradis has called it "truly a Fort Kent staple event that brings tremendous economic benefit not only to Fort Kent, but to communities throughout Maine and our neighbors in Canada."

At LoggerFest 2026, that community spirit is taking on a new form. As Can-Am committee member Lynn Cyr explains:

We are to give back to the community by sponsoring a booth supporting the logging industry with historical artifacts and knowledgeable expertise on hand to share with the public.

Lynn Cyr, Can-Am Crown Committee

That booth will be staffed by knowledgeable volunteers all weekend long, ready to share the deep, rich history of northern Maine's logging industry with anyone who stops by.

A Display Decades in the Making

What makes this heritage display so special is the breadth of what is being brought together. Drawing from the Ashland Logging Museum, the Portage Lake Historical Society, and the private collections of local families, the booth will offer an extraordinary cross-section of the tools, equipment, and photographs that defined the logging era in northern Maine.

Among the most visually striking elements of the display will be a collection of photographs taken by Maxie Morin, an Ashland photographer who captured the logging world of northern Maine from the 1890s through the early 1900s. At a time when bringing a camera into the deep woods was no small undertaking, Morin documented the camps, the crews, the horses, and the landscapes of an industry that was reshaping the entire region. These images offer something no artifact alone can provide: the faces and the places, preserved exactly as they were more than a century ago.

Rounding out the display will be a working blacksmith shop, a living demonstration of one of the most essential trades in any logging camp. Blacksmiths kept the whole operation moving, forging and repairing the axes, cant hooks, chains, and sleds that the crews depended on every single day. Watching that craft brought back to life will be one of the most memorable parts of the weekend for visitors of any age.

The stories behind these pieces are as compelling as the artifacts themselves. Hampy Martin logged the North Woods from the 1920s until his death in a 1937 automobile accident, and the items from his collection offer a direct connection to an era that many families in Aroostook County still remember through their grandparents and great-grandparents. Roland Perreault, who logged extensively through the 1950s and 1960s, is someone many people in the valley knew personally. His tools and equipment bring that more recent chapter of the industry's history vividly to life.

The three crosscut saws are a story unto themselves. Sharpened to competition standard by professionals brought in from Connecticut and then never put to use, they remain today exactly as they were prepared — sharp, pristine, and waiting. They are a testament to the craftsmanship and pride that defined the logging era in northern Maine.

The Watson Bottom Dump Wagon

Among the centerpieces of the display is a fully restored Watson Bottom Dump Wagon, courtesy of the Ashland Logging Museum. Built by the Watson Corporation of Canastota, New York, these heavy-duty wagons were produced at a peak pace of 3,500 per year. Their revolutionary bottom-dump design made them indispensable in large-scale lumbering and construction work across the region. Three of these wagons were once stored at Churchill Depot, the legendary logging headquarters deep in the Allagash, where they played a direct role in the construction of the Long Lake Dam in the early 1900s. That dam was so powerful that when its eighteen gates were opened, the force could be felt more than 100 miles away in Van Buren.

Of the three wagons that once worked those remote Allagash camps, one has been fully restored and a collection of parts from the other two still remain. That restored wagon was painstakingly brought back to life by Tom Goodyear of Bangor and the Seven Islands Land Company, who volunteered their time and skills to preserve this irreplaceable piece of Maine's industrial heritage. It now lives in the Ashland Logging Museum collection, and this May it is coming to Fort Kent.

The People Behind the Display

One of the key people making this display happen is Sarah Brooks, Vice President of the Can-Am Crown and a familiar face to anyone who has followed the races over the years. Easy to spot in her coyote fur hat at the Portage checkpoint, Brooks has served as a tireless volunteer and organizer for the Can-Am for well over a decade. By day she works as a TRIO Upward Bound Academic Advisor at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, a role she moved into after 33 years in the classroom and has now held for 16 years. She is also a founding member of the Portage Lake Historical Society, one of the contributing organizations bringing artifacts to the display this weekend.

Her connection to northern Maine's logging history runs close to home. Her mother, Sylvia Gagnon, ran a lumber mill on her own during the 1930s after the sudden death of her first husband, operating chainsaws, cross-cut saws, and heavy equipment at a time when that was nearly unheard of for women. That deep-rooted tie to the North Woods is part of what drives Brooks to make sure these stories are told and these artifacts are preserved for the generations coming up behind her.

34 Years of Trail, Community, and Northern Maine Pride

Founded in 1992, the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races have grown into what is widely recognized as the longest and highest-caliber sled dog race in the eastern United States, and one of the most respected in the world. The 250-mile race through the Allagash wilderness serves as a qualifier for both the legendary Iditarod in Alaska and the Yukon Quest. The course begins on Main Street in Fort Kent, right beneath the international bridge to Canada, and winds deep into some of the most breathtaking and remote terrain in the entire Northeast.

Each year the race draws mushers from Maine, the Canadian provinces, and states as far away as Minnesota and beyond. Hundreds of volunteers keep it running. Thousands of spectators line the starting route on Main Street. Local businesses, restaurants, hotels, gas stations, and shops see some of their biggest days of the entire year. When the Can-Am runs, the whole valley feels it.

Win a 2026 Can-Am Defender DPS Cab: The Ultimate LoggerFest fundraiser

Visiting the Can-Am Crown heritage booth at LoggerFest comes with one more compelling reason to stop by: the chance to win a brand-new 2026 Can-Am Defender DPS Cab in Compass Green. Loaded with features including a full hard roof with liner and air conditioning, full color-match doors, a rear glass window, 65-inch wide arched A-arms, and 27-inch XPS Trail King tires, this is a machine built for the Maine outdoors. This is not your typical fundraiser. Only 200 tickets will be sold at $200 each, which means your odds of winning are genuinely exciting. All proceeds go directly toward supporting the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races and ensuring this cornerstone northern Maine tradition continues for decades to come. Pick up your ticket at the heritage booth during LoggerFest weekend, but do not wait too long.

Plan Your Visit

Whether you grew up hearing stories about the log drives, are a history enthusiast eager to see authentic artifacts up close, or are simply looking for a meaningful and memorable way to spend a May weekend in the North Country, this is an event worth making time for. Admission to the heritage displays and Lonesome Pines activities is just $5.00 for ages 12 and up, and free for children under 12.